


Things That Go Bump In The Night And Other Messed Up Summoning Spells

by Greyscale



Category: EXO (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alchemy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Demon Deals, Demon Powers, Demon Summoning, Demons, F/F, F/M, Gen, Halloween, M/M, Magic, Mild Gore, Witch Curses, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-06 04:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21220316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greyscale/pseuds/Greyscale
Summary: It was a simple summoning spell. Emphasis on simple.Kyungsoo raised his hands and began chanting. The fire grew bigger and brighter, illuminating the dark forest clearing. Dark clouds began gathering in the sky above as the symbols around the circle began to glow a bright gold. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins.It was exhilarating, exciting, well, until the part when things went downhill.The wind around him began to howl. It was an airy chorus, a song that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind blew smoke and dirt straight into Kyungsoo's eyes and lungs."Et vocavi te maledictionem et contemptusde iudicio adflixerit--- Argh! Fuck!" Kyungsoo swore as he rubbed at his eyes while coughing violently.If there was anything Kyungsoo had learned about summoning it was tonever, everswear when summoning. It just makes things ahell(pun absolutely not intended) lot worse.And he had done just that.





	Things That Go Bump In The Night And Other Messed Up Summoning Spells

Today was the big day. 

The day Kyungsoo had been dreading.

This day would determine whether Kyungsoo was his family's greatest failure or another triumph. 

The moment Kyungsoo’s alarm went off, he cursed the day of his birth. He stuck an arm out into the cold frigid air from under his thick blanket, patting around the top his nightstand to find the object creating the offending noise. Upon reaching the object and successfully silencing it, Kyungsoo let out a small sound of triumph before tucking himself quickly back under his covers, hoping to drift back off into some much needed sleep. 

It was too bad though, he was already too awake, having worked himself up trying to turn off his alarm clock. Sighing in displeasure, Kyungsoo kicked off the covers, stretching briefly before rolling out of his bed and onto his feet. He hissed slightly as his feet missed his house slippers and touched the ice cold wood floor of his room. 

Kyungsoo scrubbed a hand over his face, snagging his glasses off his bedside table and perching them on his nose as he trudged on sleepy legs to the bathroom. The house was still silent which was typical. His three older sisters hadn't waken up yet, which meant this was the perfect time for Kyungsoo to get ready before the morning bloodbath for control of the bathroom.

The peace was nice, but it didn't last long because just as he was in the middle of his shower, the bathroom door was being pounded by an indignant Seulgi.

"Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo I swear on Never-night! You open this door right now!" Seulgi banged on the bathroom door. Kyungsoo calmly ignored her as he stepped out of the shower to dry himself. 

He wouldn't have to worry about her knocking the door down. The glowing gold seal he had placed on the bathroom door was holding her off pretty well. Impressive strength ran in their family which was exactly why Kyungsoo had used a fortifying seal on the door so that it wouldn't splinter into pieces. 

"Kyungsoo I swear!" She screeched. The next thing Kyungsoo heard was Seulgi sending spell after spell at the door. 

As he was combing his hair, he glanced warily at the door when the seal began to flicker. It sucked that he was the weakest magic user in the house. Compared to his sisters who had a natural affinity for magic, Kyungsoo struggled, he could barely levitate a pencil without passing out from overexertion. This was the reason Kyungsoo had taken up alchemy. The only thing Kyungsoo could understand was the seals, sigils, and symbols in his grandmother’s alchemy book. All of it. The numbers, calculations, and concoctions required made sense to Kyungsoo. They were all so easy. But, alchemy was looked down upon in the Coven.A _Iusto_ attempt to replicate True magic. It was False magic. However alchemy was Kyungsoo's best friend, it was his haven. He could create anything he wanted with it. It was enough for him. But not enough for anyone else.

"Kyungsoo!"

Part of Kyungsoo, out of spite, wanted to sit on the edge of the bathtub and waste Seulgi's time. But, the other part of him knew Seulgi would hex him the moment she got out of the bathroom, if he did that. He would rather be able to speak normally for the day than be stuck talking in rhymes, puns, or Kpop lyrics.

"Cool your jets, Seulgi I'm coming out." Kyungsoo sighed, jerking the door open. Unfortunately, for him that Seulgi was still pounding on the door and the moment he opened it, she pounded him in the face.

"Move it!" She roared as she shoved him out. Kyungsoo's glasses slipped off his nose and onto the wood floor as Seulgi slammed the door behind her. 

With a sigh, Kyungsoo picked up glasses and put them back on. He returned to his to pack his backpack and then he put on a black hoodie, and perched a cap low on his head. He was ready for school.

Trudging down the stairs, Kyungsoo made his way to the kitchen where Irene had replaced breakfast which was typically on the kitchen island, with none other than a corpse.

_Looks like that poor pizza boy didn't get away this time._ Kyungsoo glanced at the soiled red polo, on the corpse, with 'Sooman's Pizzeria' stitched on the front, just under the name Hal.

"That's not breakfast right?"

Irene glanced up from her work painting blood seals on the body. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the top of her head. She wore a long black dress with a simple red chocker. She looked flawless, even with her hands covered in blood.

"No, dear brother it is not. Cheerios are in the cabinet on the left. Help yourself."

"What's that for?" Kyungsoo jerked his chin at the corpse as he poured himself cereal.

"Tonight is Samhain."

"Halloween?"

Irene pursed her red lips into a tight line. She looked up and gave Kyungsoo a disapproving once over.

"How many times must I tell you not to call this sacred holiday that awful name. Goodness what was going through the Iusto's heads when they named tonight 'Halloween'. What an utter lack of class."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "Sorry."

Irene sighed. "Anyway, I wanted to resurrect this body to help tend to the family grounds and around the house. There's too much to do around here and I could use an extra pair of hands."

"Literally." Kyungsoo pointed at the handless corpse.

"Are you volunteering?" Irene held up a butchering knife.

"No ma'am." Kyungsoo spooned more cereal into his mouth. "Why can't you ask Wendy to do this for you?"

"Did someone call me?" A light voice chirped, followed by a head of short curly black hair.

Wendy still dressed in pajamas appeared in the kitchen with loud poof that left a soot mark on the white marble tile. 

"Well, speak of the devil." Kyungsoo snorted.

Wendy frowned at Kyungsoo. "You're saying that because I'm a demon aren't you? You're not saying that just for a figure of speech right."

Wendy was Irene's demon. It was a custom in the Coven for each witch to be paired with a demon once they were of adult age. 

Kyungsoo did not have one yet, but if all went well tonight, he would.

It was a mutually beneficial relationship between a witch and their demon. The witch served as a physical anchor and protector for the demon on the human plane, while the demon provided various services for their witch counterpart.

"Sorry, that was a bad joke." 

"It was." Wendy nodded. "But I forgive you. Good thing you're not a demon like Junmyeon is. From what I've heard, the youngest Oh son is his _Ancoris_. He's probably talked that poor boy's ear off. He's rather excited to be on this plane again."

"Sehun got a demon?"

Wendy promptly flicked Kyungsoo in the forehead.

"Ouch!"

"Have some respect kid. We demons are not possessions. Keep that in mind otherwise tonight your partnership might end in your death. Demons hate being called possessions. We live much longer than you mortals. If anything, _we_ own _you_" Wendy lectured.

"That's not what I heard you tell Irene last--- !"

"That's enough Demonology for the morning." Irene interrupted. "Wendy can you please run by Sunmi's and see if she has a pair of hands? Preferably male."

"Of course." 

With a playful glare in Kyungsoo's direction and a mini salute in Irene's direction, Wendy vanished in a poof of smoke leaving a faint scent of burning roses in her wake.

"So Kyungsoo, do you have any idea what kind of demon you would like to summon?"

"Oh, yeah about that."

"About what?" Irene arched eyebrow.

"He's stalling." Yeri, Seulgi's demon waltzed into the kitchen. "I doubt he's ever thought about it until now."

"I-- I have." Kyungsoo protested

"Boy, have you forgotten that demons are liars? I know you're lying." Yeri rolled her eyes as she drank her coffee.

Kyungsoo lowered his head, he had lost his appetite. "Look I never thought about it because I can't do magic."

"You can."

"Irene," Kyungsoo sighed. "Let's be honest. I can barely put up a warding spell without feeling exhausted. I don't have enough magic in me. I might as well as be a Iusto."

"Kyungsoo don't say that." Irene rushed towards him. She stopped herself abruptly from putting her blood covered hands on his shoulder. "You have magic there's no way you don't."

"But you've heard of it right? The ones born without it."

Irene looked away. "I know. But that's not you Kyungsoo."

Kyungsoo didn't want to continue the conversation so he changed it.

"So where did the pizza guy's hands go?"

"Oh that? Joy needed his hands for Vel."

Kyungsoo shuddered. Joy's demon seemed to have no set shape. It was like cloud of darkness, quite literally. Another reason Kyungsoo feared it so much was because Joy's demon made Yeri and Wendy skittish. Vel fed off human flesh, while Wendy and Yeri did not. If the only other two demons in the house feared it, what did that mean for Kyungsoo? It meant Kyungsoo was beyond fucking terrified of it.

Finishing his cereal. Kyungsoo placed his bowl in the sink.

"I'll be back later."

"You better be!" Irene called after him. "Tonight's the night Kyungsoo, remember that!"

Kyungsoo let out a resigned sigh. "Yeah. I'll be back."

"If not I'll make Joy send Vel after you."

Kyungsoo shook his head. "No need."

Irene chuckled as Kyungsoo rushed out the door.

\---

Kyungsoo glanced at his sisters, all of them smiling brightly at him. Tonight he would summon his demon. If all things went well, then he would be accepted by the Coven. If not, he would be his family’s biggest disappointment.

“You can do it, Kyungsoo.”

He turned to look at Irene, who wore her black robes, symbolising her adulthood in the Coven. Hopefully, after this summoning, Kyungsoo would wear black as well. For now his were grey, the color for Aspirants. Those wishing to become adults in the Coven.

No, no, no. Kyungsoo shook his head. No, he would fail. He could never cast a strong spell, let alone summon a demon. His sisters always had to help him.

“You know, when this is over, I’ll really be the loser everyone thinks I am.” Kyungsoo rubbed his ring, not meeting Irene’s eyes. “You should leave, before this gets embarrassing.”

Seulgi punched Kyungsoo in the arm. “Not a chance. Not a chance! You hear me? You, Kyungsoo are going to walk out of those woods, with a demon. Got it?!”

Kyungsoo shrank under Seulgi’s fierce cheer. Oh boy, this would be bad.

He rubbed his arm. “You know it’s true.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but blush and feel disappointed with himself. He was practically useless to his family. 

At the age of four, he couldn’t even levitate a pencil, meanwhile his peers were busy flying through the air on broomsticks. 

The only thing Kyungsoo could understand was the seals, sigils, and symbols in his grandmother’s alchemy book. The numbers, calculations, and concoctions required made sense to him. They were all so easy. But, alchemy was looked down upon in the Coven. 

A hobby for a _human_.

Alchemy was Kyungsoo’s best friend, it was his haven. He could create anything he wanted with it and it was enough for him. But not enough for anyone else.

“Stop it!” Seulgi snapped. She leveled a threatening finger in Kyungsoo’s face. “Stop thinking too hard.”

Kyungsoo pulled his glasses off my face, and tucked them into the pocket of his robe with a sigh.

“Right. No thinking, just go with the summoning.” Kyungsoo recited the instructions she had given him.

“Good. Now go for it.” Seulgi smiled.

Kyungsoo smiled back weakly. 

“Good luck, Soo.” Irene pressed a kiss to Kyungsoo’s forehead, before ushering Kyungsoo towards the woods where all the other Aspirants were gathered.

_Don’t screw up. Don’t screw up. Don’t screw up._ Kyunsgoo mentally chanted to himself.

_Well, that’s a tall order, don't you think?_ A small voice sneered from the back of his mind.

Kyungsoo turned and made his way to the entrance of the woods. Lady Boa,the head witch of their coven, stood with her hands clasped together, in front of the gate.

“Aspirants, are you ready?” She called out.

_Well, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Which is not ready at all._

“As always.” Kyngsoo replied with his fellow witches.

She nodded slightly and swept her hand through the air. Slowly the gates opened and the families stepped back.

“Good luck.” Joy whispered as Kyungsoo walked past her.

“Thanks, I’m going to need it.” Kyungsoo replied. Nodding to his sisters, he slipped past the gates and into the dark unknown.

The moment he heard the loud “clang” of the gates, Kyungsoo knew there was no going back. He would either succeed or fail. 

Slipping a hand inside his robe, he brushed his fingers over his satchel. Inside was everything Kyungsoo needed and a little something more. His alchemy tools.

The woods were rather dark and Kyungsoo stumbled about on the roots of old pine trees, cursing under his breath while avoiding long branches. Finally, he made it to a clearing. Everything, just as Joy had told him, was set up. 

In the center of the clearing was a pentagram, white salt surrounded the outer circle and long swirling symbols of protection. Beside it was a bundle of wood, for a fire. Kyungsoo gripped gripped his satchel. Suddenly his head felt hot, and his hands felt sweaty. For a moment, he could barely breathe. Staggering past the circle, Kyungsoo leaned against a tree.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath and straightened himself. 

Panicking would do him no good. 

Wiping his hands on his robe, Kyungsoo lowered his hood took off his satchel. He quickly pulled out the summoning spell, written on a piece of paper for him by Seulgi. He had long memorized the words, but having it with him gave a small sense of comfort. 

Next, kneeling on the forest floor, Kyungsoo pulled out a roll of papyrus, and a vial of his own blood. With shaking hands, Kyungsoo rewrote the summoning spell in his own blood, as Seulgi had instructed on the paper.

After finishing, Kyungsoo admired his work, briefly. He gathered the wood in the center of the pentagram, and placed the scroll with the blood written spell on top of the wood pile. Kyungsoo rushed back to my satchel and removed a vial with an amber liquid inside. 

And no. It was not whiskey. 

It was an experiment from a late alchemy project Kyungsoo had been doing. Following some of his grandmother’s old notes, Kyungsoo had managed to create liquid fire, since he could conjure his own like a normal witch could. 

Once exposed to the air, it was hot enough to cook a cow, inside and out. (Don’t ask about the process it took to create it. Let’s just say, Kyungsoo had given the Sooman Town fire department a work out, and farmer Kim the shock of a lifetime. Apparently the liquid fire Kyungsoo made, was strong enough to roast an entire cow, but that’s a story for later.) 

Kyungsoo walked back into the pentagram, careful not to ruin the salt circle. He had heard enough stories about ruined circles and what had happened to the poor fellows around them.

Kyungsoo quickly uncapped the vial and poured the liquid over the scroll and wood, leaping out of the circle just as the fire roared to life. The heat blasted him in the face, making Kyungsoo blink hard. But, that didn’t matter anymore. The circle was ready. It was time for Kyungsoo to summon a demon.

It was a simple summoning spell. 

Emphasis on simple.

Irene, Seulgi, and Joy had seriously, done everything they could to make the process as easy as possible. 

Emphasis on easy.

Naturally, Kyungsoo being Kyungsoo.

He screwed it up.

Kyungsoo raised his hands and began chanting and the fire grew bigger and brighter, illuminating the dark forest clearing. Dark clouds began gathering in the sky above, as the symbols around the circle began to glow a bright gold. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

It was exhilarating, exciting, like the kind of high you get when your at the top of the hill on a rollercoaster, just waiting to go down. 

The wind around him began to howl. It was an airy chorus, a song that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind blew smoke and dirt straight into Kyungsoo's eyes and lungs. 

"_Et vocavi te maledictionem et contemptusde iudicio adflixerit_\--- Argh! Fuck!" Kyungsoo swore as he rubbed at his eyes while coughing violently.

If there was anything Kyungsoo had learned about summoning it was to _never, ever_ swear when summoning. It just makes things a _hell_ (pun absolutely not intended) lot worse.

And he had done just that.

That was basically all it took. 

One second the spell was going perfectly fine. And the next second it went horribly wrong.

Kyungsoo never wore my glasses while casting or summoning. Now he was paying the price.

Kyungsoo watched in horror as the salt circle began to break. It changed from white to pitch rotting black. The putrid smell of sulfur wafted into the air as the salt began to smoke. Something was wrong. Very wrong

The wind whipped at Kyungsoo, screaming as it bowed trees and snapped branches. It sounded like a million voices were speaking at once. Some murmuring while others shouted and screamed. 

The sky above grew darking, thick clouds rumbling together as a single bolt of lightning struck the center of the pentagram, splintering the wood pile.

The light of the circle grew brighter, turning from the rich gold into a blinding white.

"Wait! No!" Kyungsoo ran towards the circle, but it was too late. 

He had already messed up the spell. The circle grew brighter and brighter until Kyungsoo couldn't look anymore. Kyungsoo reached into his satchel, removing the one thing he knew Irene would kill him for bringing. It was a corrosive potion, one Joy and Kyungsoo had made together. 

It was his failsafe. If all went wrong, it would destroy the summoning circle.

I threw it at the center of the pentagram with all my might. 

“Assai!” Kyungsoo yelled calling off the summoning like Joy had taught him.

The symbols around the circle flickered, briefly, as though the spell had been stopped.

Kyungsoo ran forward, but instantly regretted his choice. He shouldn’t have gone so close to the circle, the explosion that occurred nanoseconds later threw him back into a pine tree.

It was like a like a shock wave. The circle pulsed outward with invisible force so great, Kyungsoo heard a tree groan, it’s trunk breaking under the pressure of the blast, ashes rained down from the firewood pile in the center of the pentagram as the light around it flickered out.

Kyungsoo groaned, blood tricked out of his nose and mouth and he could feel one of his eyes starting to swelling. 

The pain was so much, but Kyungsoo knew he had to get up.

_I’ll just close my eyes for a moment. Just a little moment._

Kyungsoo passed right out. 

\---

When Kyungsoo opened his eyes again, smoke was floating through the air, curling off of the chunks of splintered firewood and the center of the pentagram.

He winced as he sat up slowly, his body still aching from the impact of the explosion.

_No broken ribs? Lucky me._

Kungsoo reached into his robe, retrieving his glasses. Miraculously, the lens had not been destroyed. He put them on, his hand shaking slightly.

_You failed._

Kyungsoo swallowed numbly. 

Yes, he did fail. 

I could already imagine the look on his sisters’ faces. The disappointment in Irene's eyes.

Kyungsoo tipped his head back and looked at the moon. It shone just as it had before the summoning. 

Big, bright, and beautiful.  
He dragged a hand over his face, quickly wiping away the tears of disappointment and shame.

Kyungsoo turned his head to look at the summoning circle. Or, what was left of it.

In the center of the smoking of pentagram, was a thick white fog. 

Kyungsoo slowly crawled closer to the circle, he noticed a dark huddled form in the center. 

The fog cleared slightly, was a gentle breeze blew by and Kyungsoo watched as the huddled form, unfurled itself into a tall intimidating figure. 

The first thing Kyungsoo noticed was the long red robe the figure wore. It was a dark blood red, three clasps hung on the front. One silver, the other gold, and the other bronze. The hood of the robe was drawn low over the face of the figure, leaving it in shadow. The figure held a long staff, on the end was a long curved bladed. 

It was a scythe. 

_Oh, Merlin!_

Kyungsoo slowly dragged himself backwards, in an effort to create distance between the figure and himself. He was too weak to stand, too vulnerable. And much like all other things this night, Kyungsoo messed up. His hand, unfortunately came down on a twig, which snapped loudly in the tomb silent clearing.

_“You!”_

Just that one word, was enough to drop the temperature below freezing. 

Suddenly the figure reappeared in front of him. The scythe held high over Kyungsoo’s head, poised to strike.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ 
> 
> This is Greyscale! This is my first fic outside of The Diamond Race and I'm glad to test my writing elsewhere for a bit. I wrote this fic a long way back, like in... August? I had more time back then. 
> 
> All things aside, I'm planning for this to be a is a two part fic? It won't last long. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought in the comments. (o´▽`o) 
> 
> Have a Happy Halloween! If you don't celebrate Halloween (honestly I don't either, I really just buy myself some candy and call it a day, or whateva) I hope you have a lovely evening. (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ


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